EABL 2019-20 award winners revealed

The Elite Academy Basketball League (EABL) has revealed its 2019-20 season award winners, as players and coaches from across the league have been recognised for their performances.

Copleston’s Ethan Price (above, left) went back-to-back with his second successive MVP award in the South, with a league best 28.7 efficiency rating, 23.5ppg (EABL 2nd best), 12.4rpg (EABL 3rd best) and 2.7bpg (EABL 2nd best) while helping the Ipswich academy to a 12-4 record and 3rd place.

In the North, Derby’s Blake Bowman (above, right) took home MVP honours, finishing second in efficiency behind Price with a rating of 28.1, but leading the league in scoring at 27.6 ppg, along with 8.9 rebounds per outing.

Bowman’s Derby teammate, Charlie Brown was selected as the Northern Conference Defensive Player of the Year, with 3.2 steals (5th) and 1.6 blocks (4th) along with 9.4 rebounds (6th) from the guard position.

In the Southern Conference, Barking Abbey’s Louis Norton (pictured above) received the honours at the defensive end. A runaway winner, Norton’s ability to disrupt any offensive game plan led to an EABL 4th best 3.3 steals per game in the regular season.

On the coaching side, Myerscough’s Neal Hopkins picked up the Northern Conference Coach of the Year for the fourth time, as he led his side to a 14-0 record, whilst being one of the best defensive teams in the EABL as they help opponents to under 60 points a game.

Southern Conference honours go to Canterbury’s Adam Davies, who pushed his programme to a 9-7 regular season record and #4 seed in the playoffs.

James Watt College’s Josh Ijeh took home the North’s Most Improve Player award, leading the league in rebounding and blocks with an impressive 18.2 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game, giving him a 27.5 efficiency rating, good for 3rd best in the league.

In the South, Steve Nwagwu averaged 10 points per game for an Itchen side that went 8-8 on the season.

When it came to the All-Conference teams, Myerscough’s Bradley Kaboza (15.9ppg, 3.5apg, 14.3eff) and Amari Williams (13.6ppg, 9.3rpg, 20.9eff), Charnwood’s Blaize Sagna (22.8ppg, 7.8rpg, 22.4eff) and James Watt’s Ian Rodrigues (21.2ppg, 3.4apg, 18.0eff) join MVP Blake Bowman on the First Team.

Barking Abbey duo Louis Norton (10.8ppg, 3.7apg, 13.1eff) and Veron Eze (14.4ppg, 5.5rpg, 14.4eff), John Madejski Academy guard David Chive (18.1ppg, 18.9eff, 52.3 3-pt%), and Copleston’s Ben Winter (17.1ppg, 5.9apg, 20.6eff) join MVP Ethan Price on the First Team.

In the All-Conference Second teams, Franklin Agu (9.1ppg, 8.3rpg, 11.4eff) completes Myerscough’s trio of selections in the North, whilst Manchester’s Luke Gordos (9.8ppg, 1.4spg, 7.0eff) and Sheffield’s Tom Morey (18.2ppg, 3.2apg, 12.2eff) are their programme’s only selections. Defensive Player of the Year Charlie Brown grabs further recognition for his solid season in Derby, whilst Most Improved Player Josh Ijeh’s (16.2ppg, 18.2rpg, 27.5eff) best ever EABL rebounding campaign earns him a spot as well.

In the All-Southern Conference Second Team, Canterbury duo Chester Morrell (16.2ppg, 6.5rpg, 11.9eff) and Will Raife (15.4ppg, 3.5rpg, 8.4eff), Itchen’s Taiga Forster (16.2ppg, 6.2rpg, 13.9eff), JMAs Asher Ndah (10.3ppg, 6.5rpg, 9.3eff) and Copleston’s Jacob Morgan (18.2ppg, 2.6spg, 12.2eff) complete the five.

Do you like our work?

We have a tiny favour to ask. In 2018 we set out to make Hoopsfix sustainable by building our relationship directly with our readers. Up until now, Hoopsfix has been creating editorials, videos and podcasts to provide sorely missing coverage of the British game and its distinct culture and community.

We have funded Hoopsfix with our freelance work creating basketball media, but sadly that means not only does it fall behind our client’s priorities, but some of those clients are the same organisations we need to report objectively on putting us in a conflicted position.

We want to devote more time to our mission of helping British basketball reach its potential, and produce even more content for the basketball community by making Hoopsfix a sustainable 100% independent business funded directly by our readers through Patreon.

If everyone who enjoys our content chose to support us, our future would be much more secure. For as little as $3 per month, you can support Hoopsfix – and it only takes a minute.

We are tremendously honoured and humbled to have a community of people who value what we do, and we look forward to being at the forefront of the British game as it continues to evolve.

Support Hoopsfix